Iberis sempervirens 'Snowflake'

Perennial of the Brassicaceae family, Iberis sempervirens is native to the Mediterranean basin and the mountainous regions of southern Europe, from the Pyrenees to Turkey. It frequents rock gardens, limestone screes, cliffs, and sunny stony slopes, generally between 500 and 2,000 meters in altitude.

It forms a spreading sub-shrub, woody at the base, 20 to 30 cm in height with a spread often exceeding 50 cm. The foliage is evergreen, composed of linear to spatulate leaves, dark green and glossy, densely covering the stems throughout the year.

The flowering is one of the clearest spring spectacles of the rock garden: a continuous white carpet of tight corymbs almost entirely covers the foliage. The petals, unequal according to the characteristic of the genus, are pure white, with a yellowish-green center. The buds, slightly tinged with pink or brownish-purple before anthesis, are clearly visible in the photos. In its natural habitat, its flowering extends from April to June depending on the altitude. In cultivation, it generally occurs in April-May.

It thrives in full sun, in well-drained soil, preferably limestone, and easily withstands dry summers. A robust and long-lived plant, it establishes itself as well in rock gardens as in walls or at the edge of slabs.